how competitive are the students with each other? how approachable are the professors? as a 1L at GW, what is a reasonable expectation for employment that first summer if your preference is a government position?

how competitive are the students with each other? how approachable are the professors? as a 1L at GW, what is a reasonable expectation for employment that first summer if your preference is a government position?

1. I haven't observed any competitiveness. Whenever I'm out, many people offer to send me notes, and I try to do so automatically for others if my notes weren't too shabby on that particular day.

2. It really depends on the professor. Most of my professors were approachable this semester. There is at least one professor at GW that some 1L's invariably have who is pretty notorious and unapproachable. I had that professor but my section also had one of the most approachable professors in the school. He basically made himself available to us throughout finals, and promptly replied to any questions posted on the class forum. He even came into our final and reminded us we would all be fantastic lawyers no matter what happened on the exam.

3. Government jobs hmm, hard to say to be honest. With the economy the way it is, I think law schools are all going into uncharted territory. We were told firm jobs were tough for 1L's to get. I know there are specific numbers for those GW 1L's who get gov't jobs, but I don't remember. My understanding is that it's definitely doable.

What do you think about the GW class size compared to other schools that might have only 200-250 students?

I think there are pros and cons for sure to the size of the school.

Pros:- Allows for huge faculty and course selection. GW's course catalog is quite lengthy.- Less like high school than other law schools. While I have no direct comparison, by talking to some friends at other law schools, this seems to be the case.- Wider alumni network.- More resources (goes back to staffing, but I mean overall)- Amazing SBA (student bar association). Not sure if this has to do with the size of the school.- Allows for wide variety of clinical opportunities.- Tons of student organizations.

Cons:- Some crowding in the school. While it certainly fits everyone, it's a crowded place overall.- Lack of a tight knit community you might find at a smaller school.- Large 1L classes. However, I should note the school makes an effort for 1L's to have at least 25% of their 1L classes with less than 50 people in them. But because of this, I think it can be more taxing on a professor's availability. - 1Ls have to share lockers.